Spring draft-rigging.



J. F. OCOIJNORn SPRING DRAFT HIGGING.

APPLICATION HLED Aue.25.1916.

Patented Jam. 8, MMS.

INVENTOR. 'Ja/Q11 FM@ MJU JOHN F. OCONNOR,

0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 WELLIMPI MMWR, 0.?

CRAZY, NEW YORK.

SRING DRAFT-RIGGING.

il ,253,tl88.

Specification of Lettere tratent.

Patented dan.. t, 1918.

Application :filed August 25, 1916. Serial No. 116,772.

To all whom, it may concern."

Be it known that l, JOHN F. OCoNNon, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State .of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring Draft-Rigging,of which the following isa full, clear, concise, and exact description,rference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in spring draft rigging.

One object of this invention is to provide a spring draft gear which maybe cheaply manufactured and easily applied and wherein the pulling andbuliing shocks are transmitted to the sills of the car by means of asingle fixed key.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is avertical longitudinal section of a portion of adraft rigging showing myimprovements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionalview taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. l and showing the partsof the draft rigging in Anormal position. Fig. 3 is a transverse,vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.And Fig. 4 is a broken detail view'of the forward portion of one of theyoke arms.

In said drawings, 10-1O denote channel shaped center or draft sills of acar between which the parts of the gear are mounted. The gear properpreferably comprises a front follower 11, rear follower 12, verticaltwin arranged springs 13-13 separated by aA spacer block 14, the underdraft by means of a horizontal yoke A. The gear proper is held inposition by means of a tie plate 15 which is detachably connected to thelower flanges of the sills by means of clips 16 and bolts 17.

The front follower 11 is prevented from forward movement by means of afixed, horizontally extending wide key 18 mounted in correspondinglyshaped slots in the sills 10-10, the front follower 11 normally engagingthe rear edge of said key 18. As also appears from Fig. 2, the key 18passes through suitable slots provided in the side arms of the yoke A..Each of the side arms of the yoke A is slotted at its forward end in themanner most clearly indicated in Fig. 4.- Each slot comprises arectangular 'portion 19 with a rearwardly extended, centhe rearward gearbeing operated trally located narrower portion 20, the latter being toaccommodate the forward movement of the yoke .d on the fixed key 18, aswill'appear from an inspection of Fig. 2. The draw bar 21 has the buttthereof transversely slotted, the slot comprising a wide section 22 nearthe center, a forwardly eX- tended narrower section 23 which permitsmovement of the draw bar relatively to the fixed key 18, and arearwardly extended narrower section 2i to accommodate the key 18 andpermit forward movement of the draw bar. 'l he wider portion of the slotin the draw bar is provided to accommodate two narrower keys 25 and 26arranged respectively above and below the fixed key 18. Said keys 25 and26 pass through the enlarged portions 19 of the slots in the arms of thehorizontal yoke and normally engage against the forward edges of saidslots. The yoke arms are preferably provided with laterally extendedreinforcing flanges 27 at the forward ends of the slots therein andagainst which the keys engage. As clearly indicated in Fig. 2, the upperand lower portions of the slotted butt end of the draw bar are connectedby a rectangular brace 28 which is accommodated in an elongated slot 29in the'key 18. The sides of the draw bar are provided with reinforcingfianges 30 surrounding the slot in the draw bar, the shape and contourof said reinforcing ianges being clearly illustrated in Fig. l.

As shown in Fig.'3, the keys 25 and 26 are of similar construction andeach has a flanged end 31, thekeys, when inserted being oppositelyarranged as shown in Fig. 3, `whereby' the flanges 31 overlap the endsof the fixed key 18. The keys 25 and 26 are maintained in position byany suitable means such as the cotters ,32-32.

In operation, upon buthng movement, the yoke A is prevented fromrearward movement since it engages the fixed key 18. Consequent] y, therear follower 12 is prevented from rearward movement by the yoke A andas the draw bar moves inwardly over the fixed key 18, the rear face ofthe draw bar butt will engage and operate the front follower 11, thuscompressing the springs. The amount of compression is or may be limitedby the spacer 14, the length of which can be varied as desired. Indraft, the front follower 11 is held stationary by the xed key lll@readily assembled and disassembled and mayy be employed in standard sillspacing. Furthermore, the gear proper may be inserted and removed frombelow .without disconnect- -ing or disturbing the draw bar and yoke.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging, the combination with a draw bar, a yoke, andshock absorbing mechanism within the yoke, of two movable keys, and afixed key, all of said keys extending transversely through the draw barand the yoke, the fixed key acting aslfa front stop for said mechanismand prevent ing rearward movement ofthe yoke, the movablekeys connectingthe draw bar and yoke under draft.

2. In a draft rigging, the combination with a shock absorbing mechanismincluding a front follower and a rear follower and a horizontal yoke, ofa fixed key arranged to prevent forward movement of the front follower,said key being extended through slots in the arms of said yoke andarranged to prevent rearward movement of the latter, but permittingforward movement thereof, and means for operatively connecting said yokewith the draw bar under draft, said means including a pair of keyslocated one directly above and the other directly below said fixed key.a

3. In a draft rigging, the combination with a draw bar and ahorizontally arranged yoke, of means for operatively connecting the drawbar and yoke under draft, shock absorbing mechanism insertible frombelow and between the arms of said yoke, and

means for preventing rearward movement of the yoke whereby the latteracts as a rear stop for the shock absorbing mechanism, said meansincluding a fixed key passing through a slot in the draw bar.

4. vIn a draft rigging, the combination with a draw bar, and shockabsorbing mechanism including a front follower against which the butt ofthe draw bar normally bears, a fixed key extending through the draw barand also normally engaging said frontfollower and preventing forwardmovement of the latter, and means connect ed with the draw bar foractuating the shock absorbing mechanism under draft, said means actingas a rear stop through the intermediary of said xed key under buff. 5.In a draft rigging, the combination with draft sills, a fixed keyextending horizontally -between said sills, a horizontal yoke slidableforwardly with respect to said key, but prevented from rearward movementthereby, shock absorbing mechanism insert.- ible from below between thearms of said yoke, said key acting as a front stop for the shockabsorbing mechanism under draft, a draw bar, and means operativelyconnecting the draw bar and yoke under draft, said means comprising apair of keys slidable with respect to the fixed key.

6. In a draft rigging, the combination with a draw bar, a yoke, andshock absorbing mechanism, of three transversely extending keys alllocated forwardly of thev shock absorbing mechanism, certain of saidkeys being fixed and adapted to prevent rearward movement of the yokeand act as a front stop for said mechanism, the remainder of said keysbeing movable and adapted to operatively connect the yoke and draw barunder draft.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 22nd day of August, 1916.

JOHN F. OCONNOR.

